Aerial Illusion of an “Underwater Waterfall” in Mauritius Island

About 1,200 miles off the southeast coast of Africa lies an island known as Mauritius that gives off the illusion of an underwater waterfall at the southwestern tip of the island. The visually deceiving impression, created in the water due to the runoff of sand and silt deposits, is especially effective and stunning in aerial shots. In fact, the illusion can even be seen on Google Maps.

Towering high above is Le Morne Brabant, a basaltic monolith with a summit 556 m (1,824 ft) above sea level. The summit covers an area of over 12 hectares (30 acres) and is situated on Le Morne Brabant peninsula. The area (Le Morne Cultural Landscape) is also recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site:

Le Morne Cultural Landscape, a rugged mountain that juts into the Indian Ocean in the southwest of Mauritius was used as a shelter by runaway slaves, maroons, through the 18th and early years of the 19th centuries. Protected by the mountain’s isolated, wooded and almost inaccessible cliffs, the escaped slaves formed small settlements in the caves and on the summit of Le Morne. The oral traditions associated with the maroons, have made Le Morne a symbol of the slaves’ fight for freedom, their suffering, and their sacrifice, all of which have relevance to the countries from which the slaves came – the African mainland, Madagascar, India, and South-east Asia. Indeed, Mauritius, an important stopover in the eastern slave trade, also came to be known as the “Maroon republic” because of the large number of escaped slaves who lived on Le Morne Mountain.